


Playing With Your Food

by RedHouden (Corveille)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Angry Eren Yeager, Creature Armin Arlert, Creature Eren Yeager, Creature Fic, Creature Marco Bott, Creature Ymir, Human Jean Kirstein, Hunters & Hunting, Jean Kirstein Is an Idiot, M/M, Marco Bott & Ymir Are Twins, POV Marco Bott, Pack Dynamics, Short One Shot, Wrote This a While Ago On My Free Time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 08:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17978309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corveille/pseuds/RedHouden
Summary: During one of their hunts, Marco sees Jean get away from the other members of his pack and head to the woods, seeking some hiding ground. He decides to chase after him, quite determined to bring back a prey of his own, problem is..he can't bring himself to kill this particularly odd human.





	Playing With Your Food

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This was a little idea that got stuck in my head some time ago, here we have the end result. I had more ideas to go and make this a multi-chapter fic... but well, never got the time.
> 
> So enjoy this little thing.
> 
> (Sorry for any mistakes, english is not my first language.)

The first thing I sense is the smell.…

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine when I realize it’s the smell of burned flesh that I’d learned, from young age, to associate with death. Instead of running away—like most creatures here would— my limbs move me to the source.

 A soft breeze blows through my short fur as I jump between long branches in these woods. It travels from my head to the end of my long tail, where the hair grows longer and bushier. My sensitive ears flicker and swirl around, trying to tell any sounds apart from the loud chirping of the birds.

Similar blurs of black rush past an ahead of me, blurs I know quite well. My pack moves forward swiftly through the leaves and I follow, obedient.

The pack makes a sudden stop and so do I.

 I feel my claws sink into the bark of a sturdy tree and my tail coils around it to stabilize me. I look down at the others, either hiding in the thick bushes or watching from higher ground much like myself, though I admit most of them are hard to spot from here.

The patters of grey and brown stripes we’ve been blessed with supposedly serve as the perfect camouflage for this area, making us almost impossible to see.

As I think of this, I look down at my own fur and run my claws gently through it.

Most of my pack’s members would only have that single type of making and nothing else to offer, but it was slightly different in my case. I’d been born with an additional set of bright speckles that ran all throughout my body and made me stand out more than usual in the group, marking me as the exception to the rule. The elders of our clan have explained to me once how this type of marking was extremely rare, an anomaly. How if I ever were to become a hunter, it’ll be a lot harder for me to catch preys.

Preys…like the ones we were currently tracking down. What the elders described as humans, the sole purpose of this particular hunt.

Like most standing around me, I am still young and too inexperienced to participate in the actual hunting, no more than a mere novice. As far as we’re concerned, our job would consist of doing the basics. Stay alert to any danger that could come and watch the way the pack moves and act around their targets.

We’ll learn how to be hunters by copying their techniques.

The trackers sneak a little closer to where they now know our future claims are hidden and the rest of us follows silently. We reach the end of the dense forest with ease.

It is right then when I get a first glance at what we’ll try to take down today well, actually I hear them before I see them.

The humans, I soon realize, are quite noisy and not even trying to be cautious of their surroundings. Standing on only two limbs instead of four, they’re scattered everywhere in the clearing. Some go to a small river near-by to fetch water – though they use anything but their mouths – others are picking up objects I’ve never seen before. What I guess was a female was shaking something long but thin around to get rid of the water. Was that supposed to be a pelt? As my eyes wander, I find what had drove us here in the first place.

 A large group is gathered around the red flames, such dangerous things that can trap and kill anything that stands on their way, chatting with one another. Uncaring of said danger being so close to them. In fact, they seem to be offering their meals to it by their own will.

A scoff of indignation leaves my mouth at the sight. Why would they want to waste food like that? Feeding the flames to make them bigger and stronger was nothing but a waste of energy, it’ll never be truly satisfied.

 There are other animals around too —some strange and new that are not natives from our domains— and there seems to be no fear as they choose to stay close to these humans. Wolf-like creatures are keeping guard, ears perked up and body still, ready. That could become a problem for the hunters but luckily, they look to be more interest in the human cubs rather than the trees we are hidden into, for now.

 No one has noticed our presence.

The Alpha –who stands tall and proud before all of us– flicks his tail in the air and all the hunters lying on the ground move forward. Crouching low just behind him, they all take their positions.

They’re the first line of attack, the ones to open the hunt and take out the bigger preys.

 I watch with sudden curiosity as all of them move like one, forming a semi-circle around our targets. I quickly figure out what my pack wants to do. There’s a big formation of rocks behind the herd of humans and we are the only thing right in front of them. They’ll try to trap as many as they can, form an ambush of sorts. The birds chirp again, even louder than before, and the hunters creep closer.

The singing comes to a sudden stop.

Their attack, begins.

Everything turns into chaos as the humans finally realize what’s happening. Most try to escape as our hunters close in on them, while others simply grab sticks with sharp rocks and take a defensive posture. Those are what the elders have labeled as their claws. Red soon stains the grass as the fights get more intense and deadly. It saddens me to see how not even the little cubs are spared in this massacre.

Though the pack does manage to get a few good kills, it’s obvious they are having trouble with this hunt. The watchers that are with us answer to their plea of help and jump in to aid in the attack, leaving us novices alone. My brothers and sisters beside me grow restless, wishing that they too could join in to demonstrate their worth. I take this opportunity to memorize all the moves and strategies our pack is showing. I would demonstrate that I could be the better hunter, even with my disadvantage. Something catches my eye and distracts me for the ragging battle below.

Well… this is certainly unusual.  

One of the humans had somehow evaded all the hunters and was now heading towards the other side of our forest. The pack is too busy with all the other preys that are refusing to go down so easily to notice nor care about this detail. With this in mind, I focus my attention on its running form. And even though the human stumbles, almost falls many times he doesn’t give up and keeps on going, nearing the dark trees.

Such tenacious creatures, humans seem to be.

I find myself learning forward, wanting to go after it. It looks like it wouldn’t be hard to take it down, not too big. It could be a great opportunity to show my value and finally get some recognition.

Our orders had been clear but…. I just couldn’t ignore this chance to prove myself, to show the pack that I was capable of killing just like anyone else. When the human is at the edge of the forest, my body makes the decision for me.

It doesn’t take long to hear the call of one of my sisters.

_‘Marco, where are you going?’_

Ymir clicks and growls from above me as I climb down. Piercing eyes watch me suspiciously as I turn to answer her. She is a little bigger and her fur presents the same spots that my own has, but less in number. Ymir doesn’t need camouflage when she has left it more than clear how ruthless she can be, between intimidation and stealth, she’d chosen the former. Even though there is a good level of trust between us I decide against letting her know what I’m about to do, she’d turn it into a competition to see which one of us was the superior killer.

That’s the least thing I needed now.

_‘I want to get a better view of the fights. I’ll be back soon.’_

I run away from her before she can ask more questions. I race in the direction to where I last saw the little human go. While killing may be a hard thing for me to do, tracking was without a doubt one of my best abilities. I go deeper into the woods, following mismatched set of footprints and the faint but very familiar scent that lingers in the air. The human had been hurt after all.

It doesn’t take me long to catch up to it, though it doesn’t seem to know it has company just yet. Remembering what I have been taught I gather that this human is in fact a male, skinny, weak-looking and covered in mud and dirt. He’s not as big as the others humans, not as small as a cub either but something in-between, most likely.

 He doesn’t have any fur on his body save for his head where it’s oddly posed. Long and bright at the top, short and opaque at the base. His bare skin shows all types of different tones, pink on his limbs and a mix of green and orange on his body. All quite the vivid colors, for an animal that holds no venom inside.

The cause of his limping is evident even from this distance. One of his legs had been badly injured in the run down—there’s a mark that resembles an irregular bite on his shin— now coated in blood.

He slows down to gasp for air, seemly exhausted after such a short run. To be honest it surprises me how fast this human can lose his energy. How did he survive this long? I wonder but then again…. doesn’t seem to hold much meat to his bones. After regaining his breath, he spins around to see if others of his kind had followed.

He finds me instead.

He freezes the moment he sees me, doesn’t move or even… breathe. I’m able to see the moment his eyes grow wide and fearful before he lets out a high-pitch scream, so loud and piercing that it hurts my ears. I have to briefly shut my eyes because of the pain and he doesn’t waste the opening. His body snaps out of out his frozen state and sprints away as fast as a hare. I chase after him, not wishing to lose his track, but it ends up not being a hard thing to do. He can’t really get away with those wounds.

He keeps making all types of noises and gestures as he goes. Maybe they are made to frighten me or to get his herd’s attention. It’s all in vain of course, seeing as there’s only the two of us down here. It’s very unlikely he’ll get the help he needs.

I should go for the kill right now — alone and wounded, it’s the perfect chance after all— but, for once, my growing curiosity for this new creature wins over my instincts.

I stick to the chasing.  

He crouches and slides under a tree root in hopes of slowing me down but I just leap over it and greet him on the other side. He makes a dash to the left but I block his path, he tries the other way and gets the same result.

This is sort of…fun.

I find myself forgetting that he is supposed to be my prey and that I am a mighty predator as the silly made-up game goes on.  It kind of reminds me of my younger days back in the cove with my siblings. Things were so simple and peaceful back then.

 Desperate now, the human rounds a big tree trunk and slips into its hollow. The space is too tight for my body to fit through and so, the fun ends there. As I try to put my face inside the hole to see the weird creature again one of his paws lunges at me, startling me enough to rear back. Luckily it misses my eye, but still lands a good hit on my right shoulder. I watch how a lanky leg disappears back into the darkness.

I snarl to show my irritation but he answers back with a sound of his own, his eyes glare at me so vividly. It doesn't look like he’s going to come out any time soon but that’s not a problem really, because I already have an idea.

 I run back and forth in front of him, not making eye-contact, as expected there’s no other way inside and the tree looks sturdy enough. I stay still as if considering options I don’t really have and then, move to walk away from the tree. Make sure to be as loud as possible before quietly climbing the tree right over the hole. A tactic taught to us for the preys that are hidden: give a false sense of security and wait patiently for the best moment to strike. Usually the animals are slow and cautious, not really making it very far from their safe place until they’re sure they can go out completely.

This human does neither of those things.

It dashes away from the tree with a speed no wounded animal should have. It takes me by surprise again, enough to stop me from lunging at him.  He makes good distance before the vines on the ground tangle around his rear paws, forcing him to the ground. He yells loudly, front paws grab at the thick plant and pull to get free but to my advantage, the thing doesn’t let go and I pounce on him before he can do anything else.

My claws push into the earth on either side of his face, fangs already bare and tail held high in warning. I expect him to fight me, to give away one of those painful yells again but no, that’s not what he does. He curls into a ball to protect his throat from me instead, and what escapes his mouth is a pathetic little whimper. I watch as his body starts to shake and, though the human tries to hide it, is clear as the day above. He knows he has nowhere to go now, it’s all over.

 I look into his eyes again and where I had previously seen anger and defiance there’s only pure fear now and, something else.

How strange.

My kind could only ever be blessed with the essence of water, the forest or the earth in our eyes. That was what defined us and connected us with this land and each other. This human, he seemed to hold an untamable flame inside his own. Like the great bright above us, his eyes were alluring and full of warmth but they also showed so much terror and uncertainty. All caused by a beast that ought to end his life and yet, here the two of us are.

He closes them and hides his face from me when I tip my head down to press my nose against his fur. He tenses as I take his scent in, the smell of something fresh, like grass and morning rain combined. It’s pleasant, so familiar and it makes me wonder if all humans smell like this. I know what I’m meant to do but…I don’t…... I want this to last a little longer.

 He looks so vulnerable, like a newborn cub. So scared and alone that the feelings of hunger or the desire to kill are just not there anymore. The human seems so confused by my actions, probably wondering why he’s _still_ alive and unharmed.

My ears flicker when I hear the leaves crunch somewhere to my right. I expose my teeth again in preparation for what’s about to come.

Two figures emerge from the tall bushes and I recoil away from my prey, ready to leave in case other humans had miraculously found us. Soon turns out there’s no reason to, for the intruders were two novices I knew quite well.

I stomp my tail in greeting as they approach us, making the human jump slightly. When he sees my brothers, he tries to scoot back as much as he can with a bad leg and moves his head around wildly, looking for a place to disappear into. After not seeing any other option he chooses to hide underneath me.

…. interesting approach.

‘ _Marco! We have been looking for you!’_

Eren greets me with a series of clicks that I happily return. He freezes however, when he sets his attention on what’s lying on the ground beneath me. Armin, who had been following right behind, bumps clumsily into Eren once he lays eyes on the human too.

This…could become a problem.

‘ _Marco, why do you have a human with you?’_

Eren’s the first to ask the question. His fur is spiked up and he sounds downright furious with his forest eyes gazing at me expectantly. Armin is the completely opposite, his aqua eyes are looking at the human with innocent curiosity.

_‘This human got away during the hunt while the others were distracted so I decided to chase after him.’_

The answer seems to relax Eren, if only a little. He doesn’t look like he’s about to kill something, at least.

_‘Wouldn’t have taken more than three steps if I had participated in it.’_

I clamp my teeth together lightly, not really wanting to think about what Eren would’ve done if he’d been the one to catch this human, but I do find myself agreeing with his words. Eren has the potential to become an excellent hunter. His brute force and will power alone are a force to be reckon with. The brown stripes reach every part of his body and can disguise him extremely well, making him look as part of any tree. Only problem is, he lacks the among of patience necessary for hunting.

I can feel the human’s raspy breathing, he’s getting anxious. It makes me wonder if maybe he’d been able to understand what Eren had said about him.

_‘He’s hurt, isn’t he?’_

It is Armin who asks this but as I turn my head to answer him I find him leaning down, trying to get a sniff of the human and it dawns on me. The human wasn’t breathing irregularly because of Eren’s but rather because of Armin’s doing. I’m a little surprised that makes me feel relieved.

I feel a tug at my tail and I look down only to find the human pressing himself against my stomach with the bushy end of my tail held tightly in front of him, as if that act alone would stop Armin from coming any closer. As far as I’m aware, my tail is just a tail with no especial abilities.

‘ _What is he doing Marco?’_

_‘I…honestly don’t know.’_

Humans were indeed the strangest of creatures.

Armin backs off, quickly understanding that the human at the very least, needs a little space. Looking back at him, I’m reminded again of how tiny Armin is compared to our other siblings. His mostly grey fur only has few stripes that run from his back to the end of his tail. Because of his size he’s often left far in the back of the formation…but _never_ alone.

Eren and I were one of the few who always chose to be alongside him, because we both knew that even if he wasn’t as intimidating as the others, in no way was Armin weak.

A loud voice breaks my line of thought.

_‘Who cares what the furless thing is doing? Just kill it so we can go back home’_

Even though he tells me to kill the human, it looks like Eren wants to take upon the task.

He pushes Armin out of the way and tries to get to the “furless thing” as he’d called him but the human is faster. He picks up a stone and throws it at Eren, hitting him between his eyes. Eren roars and shakes his head in pain while the human prepares to attack again. He makes a move to grab him but I jump and plant myself firmly in front of him.

My bright earthen eyes hold him in place as each of us let out a menacing growl and ruffle up our fur to intimidate one another but, I don’t attack him. Even if Eren is being awfully aggressive now I’ll not make the first move, not until he tries something. The least I want to do is provoke him any further. I admit that I _do_ wrap my tail possessively around the human’s torso which, in exchange, makes him go stiff and stills his gibbering.

‘ _No, Eren.’_

_‘The thing threw a rock at me! Let me kill it!’_

_‘It’s not your prey Eren.’_

_‘We both know you are not used to killing animals bigger than an otter, so let me do it!’_

_‘You can’t claim another’s prey and you know it. I chased him. I caught him so he’s **mine.’**_

My tail tightens unconsciously around the human after the last word, to show my point.

_‘Why do you care so much?!’_

 And that single question causes me to cease my clicking because I honestly don’t know how to respond to that. There is no real answer, is there? I can’t explain with words why I felt so protective of this particular human, I only know that I do. Eren doesn’t stay long enough to give him some sort of a reply though.

_‘Fine then **I** don’t care how, just get on with it and kill it…. and stop wasting time in here!’_

With one last glare he turns his back on me and, with a twist of his tail, runs back into the bushes but not before growling at me one last time.

_‘See if we go looking for you next time you go fool around with some humans. Armin!’_

Glad that the conflict could be avoided, I stand my pose for a few more seconds before I finally relax enough to sit on the ground. That’s how Eren is, hot-tempered and with no patience at all.

Going against his wishes, Armin doesn’t leave right away with him and instead walks closer to where I stand. He clicks and chirps softly while approaching me. Wary I realize, trying to determinate whether or not he’s welcome here. I bump his head when he’s close enough to tell him that all is forgiven. I’m not angry at him, or Eren for that matter.

_‘We came here to let you know the hunt ended and we are taking our kills back home but you have more important things to deal with I see’_

We both focus our attention back on my human—my human? – that’s trying to pry my tail open but he gives up once he sees two pairs of eyes watching him.

_I’ll catch up to you, I just need to figure out some…. things first.’_

_‘Take your time–’._

_‘ **ARMIN!** ’_

Eren’s roar has Armin apologizing for his attitude again. He quickly thumps his tail before flying in the same direction Eren has gone to. When I’m sure that both of them are gone I allow my head to hang low. All the air I have leaves me in one big exhale.

I honestly feel so drained. All I want to do is lie down and sleep until the next full moon.

The human is just sitting behind me, not doing much of anything. Just how tired must he be of running and fighting? Of everything? I experimentally drag him towards me and he doesn’t resist my pull…at all. He is forcing himself to stay awake, but his eyes are having trouble obeying him. He obviously could benefit from a nap just as much as I could, but not out here in the open.

If my memory serves me correctly, this place is surrounded by big burrows that have been abandoned since way back when my pack had first claimed this area as part of our territory. After some checking, I take us inside the less wrecked one I can find with only a weak protest coming from him.

 It takes the human tripping over several roots to remind me that these creatures can’t see in the dark very well. By the time I do, he’s already lying with his face on the ground and his body has gone limp. I choose to follow his strategy and collapse on top of him, seeking his warmth. He replies with a grunt and soon twists his body around to shove me so he can lie on his back but never complains about the extra weight, once I settle back down. He’s already sleeping when I feel his life beating against his chest, slow and calm. It soothes me enough to lose the tension in my sore muscles.

After I get some sleep, I tell to myself as my eyes close tiredly, I’d take care of him.


End file.
